1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to a water separator. More specifically, the invention relates to a water separator having a gutter.
2. Description of the Related Art
The use of a Heating, Ventilating, and/or Air-conditioning (HVAC) unit in vehicles is known in the art. It is desirable to reduce a water content of an air stream used in the HVAC unit to prevent moisture from being introduced into a passenger compartment of the vehicle. Moisture causes failures of electrical components and can cause odors, which enter the passenger compartment of the vehicle. Moreover, it is desirable to reduce the water content of the air stream used in the HVAC unit to avoid any risk of moisture forming mist or fog on windows in the passenger compartment of the vehicle. As such, the HVAC unit includes a conventional water separator for reducing the water content of the air stream used in the HVAC unit. Generally, the conventional water separator changes a direction of the air stream flowing through the water separator to force water droplets from the air stream thereby reducing the water content of the air stream.
The conventional water separator has a housing, which includes a diverter wall and an adjacent wall spaced from the diverter wall. The diverter wall and the adjacent wall define an air passage for allowing the air stream to flow through the water separator. The diverter wall has a terminal end. The terminal end of the diverter wall forces the air stream to rapidly change direction to force the water droplets from the air stream. Generally, the water droplets form on the diverter wall and the adjacent wall. The water droplets on the diverter wall flow along the diverter wall under gravitational forces toward the terminal end of the diverter wall. Because the air passage wraps around the terminal end of the diverter wall, the water droplets that form on the diverter wall drip from the terminal end into the air passage and reenter the air stream. These water droplets that drip into the air stream are entrained in the air stream and travel with the air stream that is used in the HVAC unit. As such, the effectiveness of the water separator to eliminate moisture in the form of the water droplets from the air stream is diminished. Therefore, the water droplets that reenter the air stream result in moisture entering the passenger compartment of the vehicle. It is undesirable to for the HVAC unit to introduce moisture into the passenger compartment of the vehicle.
An alternative water separator has ribs along a diverter wall to direct water droplets that form on the diverter wall away from a terminal end of the diverter wall to prevent the water droplets from reentering the air stream. However, demand in the industry to produce smaller HVAC units and smaller water separators has resulting in an increase in a velocity of the air stream flowing through the smaller water separators. The increased velocity renders the use of ribs on diverter walls ineffective for preventing water droplets from reentering the air stream. Therefore, there remains a need to provide an improved water separator.